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Murphy traded to Panthers
The Raiders traded receiver Louis Murphy to the Carolina Panthers this morning for an undisclosed conditional draft pick. Yahoo Sports was the first to report the deal.
He caught just 15 passes last year and was due to make $1.26 million this season. The emergence of rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater seemed to make the veteran expendable, especially since the price was apparently right from the Panthers.
Murphy, 25, had 90 catches in three seasons, with a healthy 15.2 yards per catch average — which Carolina and quarterback Cam Newton could exploit.
This is the second trade with the Panthers for new Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, so obviously both teams were happy with the March deal sending backup offensive lineman Bruce Campbell to Carolina for backup running back Mike Goodson.
Back from a hamstring injury, Murphy said last month that he knows some saw him as being on the way down the Raiders depth chart and was up for the challenge.
“It’s a crucial year for me and I am just accepting it with open arms,” he said.
Murphy had sports hernia surgery at the start of last season and only finished with 15 catches for 241 yards. He had a few drops and was even behind short-timer T.J. Houshmandzadeh at the end of the last season. Worse, he could hear the scouts and the fans, his beloved RaiderNation, casting him off as not part of the team’s future.
“Yeah, I have a big chip on my shoulder,” Murphy said. “I have a lot to prove. I hear the outside talking and it’s just part of me, with my mentality, that I have a lot to prove. Even if I don’t, I just feel like I do.”
He said he played hurt last season — “I never really got back to 100 percent. I just wanted to help the team out any way possible and I just gave it my best.” — and admittedly had a tough time adjusting to new quarterback Carson Palmer. He and last year’s starter, Jason Campbell, are particularly close friends.
i know son gon beast for them, them injuries was the only thing holding him back and align him with Killa 
talent at that position. Watch out for the TE Ausberry, looking for a breakout year from my Trojan breh.